Neil Diamond fans donate their refunded ticket money to charity

Earlier this week Neil Diamond announced his retirement, canceling all remaining shows in his 50 year anniversary tour.'

Full refunds were offered to fans who still held tickets to his scheduled shows.

Diamond has now thanked fans for their “outpouring of love and support” after many of them donated refunded concert ticket fees to charities.

Fans who’d purchased tickets for his planned tour of Australia and New Zealand in March got their money back from promoters and some decided to put the cash toward causes, including Parkinson’s research, animal rescue and accident-victim funds.

“Wow, I’ve received a bunch of messages from people in Aus & NZ who are donating their ticket refunds to good causes," Diamond’s wife and manager Katie wrote on Twitter: "My heart is so full of joy to see this silver lining. Faith in humanity = restored. Thank you!”

Diamond also wrote on Twitter saying “This makes me smile. Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of love and support. It makes a difference.”

“I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come," the veteran singer noted in his retirement announcement. "My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”